An inmate in Florida has died after being mutilated by his cellmate. The incident occurred at the Columbia Correctional Institution in Lake City, Florida. on Thursday, Sept. 13. According to Julie Jones, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Corrections, Larry Mark, 58, was killed by a fellow inmate while the men were in the cell they shared.
The inmate, who has yet to be identified by authorities, strangled Mark. He then gouged out his eyeballs, placed them in a cup and cut off his ear. The inmate wrapped Mark’s body in a sheet and left him in the cell. After the murder, the inmate placed a string around a piece of Mark’s ear and wore it as a necklace. He showed off the body part to other inmates while in the dining hall and also told other inmates that he planned on drinking or eating Mark’s eyeballs.
Mark’s body eventually was discovered by correctional officers at the facility. The inmate responsible for the crime would later tell authorities that he killed Mark because he was being “pestered” by him.
The facility apparently has a shortage of qualified correctional officers. At the time of Mark’s death, only one correctional officer was in the control room supervising prisoners in the G Dorm area of the prison. In all, 3,000 prisoners are being held at Columbia Correctional Institution, a facility known to house violent criminals.
Hours after Mark’s murder, a melee broke out in the prison between members of two gangs — the Bloods and the Cutthroats — and several inmates were stabbed over contraband.
There will be an investigation into both crimes by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. “We are working with our partners at FDLE to investigate this death and ensure anyone responsible is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Jones, the Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman, said in a statement.
